The World Cup has delivered unforgettable football moments, but another story has been unfolding away from the goals and glory. England's victory over Norway may have ended Erling Haaland's tournament, yet it did nothing to dent the warm friendship between him and England star Jude Bellingham.

Before Saturday night's clash, social media buzzed with clips celebrating the pair's long-standing bond, which began when they were teenagers at Borussia Dortmund. As the teams emerged from the tunnel, Bellingham even gave Haaland a playful kick on the back, a light-hearted moment that stood in sharp contrast to the steely intensity often seen before major matches.

For many observers, those scenes highlighted something bigger. Rather than embracing the aggressive image associated with online "manosphere" influencers, football's newest generation has projected a different style of masculinity—one built on friendship, mutual respect and emotional openness.

The contrast is striking. Figures such as Andrew Tate and British streamer HSTikkyTokky have become associated with displays of wealth, expensive cars, boasts about promiscuity and derogatory attitudes towards women. By comparison, Bellingham, Haaland and other leading young footballers present themselves as confident, successful and charismatic while also appearing grounded and respectful.

Haaland has become famous not only for his goals at Manchester City but also for his quirky online personality. Whether posting humorous selfies with Shrek or attempting a Deep South accent, he has built a reputation for laughing at himself rather than projecting anger or superiority.

Following Norway's World Cup exit, Haaland refused to dwell on disappointment. Instead, he reflected positively on his life and career, saying: "I'm quite happy with my life. I'm enjoying it, I'm in a good place."

Family has also become a defining theme for many of football's biggest stars. Since 2025, Haaland has worn "Braut Haaland" on his Norway shirt to honour both his mother, former Norwegian heptathlon champion Gry Marita Braut, and his father, former footballer Alf-Inge Haaland.

Bellingham has spoken just as warmly about the influence of his mother, Denise. When the midfielder joined Borussia Dortmund for £25 million at the age of 17, Denise moved to Germany with him while his father remained in Birmingham to support younger brother Jobe.

The England midfielder has repeatedly credited his mother for shaping both his career and his character. "I can say without a doubt that my mother has been more important in my career than any coach I've had," he has said.

After England defeated Norway, Bellingham revealed Denise had spent the week reminding him to control both his emotions and his tackles because he was carrying a yellow card into the match. He admitted her advice helped influence his behaviour during the game.

Emotional honesty has become another hallmark of this generation. Rather than hiding vulnerability, Bellingham has argued that public figures should encourage conversations about mental health. He has said: "If we can show vulnerability, then it opens up a bigger conversation for people who are struggling in the darkness."

England captain Harry Kane has also focused on wellbeing away from football, launching his foundation in 2022 to support mental health and emotional resilience.

Polling cited in the article suggests these role models may be resonating. An Ipsos survey in 2025 found 76% of young men said they had at least one positive male role model, while a YouGov poll reported that 71% viewed Andrew Tate and similar influencers unfavourably.

Another survey found 63% of men aged 18 to 29 considered having children important, alongside growing enthusiasm for active fatherhood rather than the traditional breadwinner model. Sporting figures including Gareth Southgate and Andrew Flintoff are also highlighted as promoting tolerance, respect and emotional wellbeing.

As England prepares for Wednesday night's match, there is another contest unfolding beyond the football itself. Whatever happens on the pitch, the tournament has showcased players whose behaviour, friendships and openness continue to attract attention far beyond the game.

This World Cup is proof that the manosphere is dying and for losers

8 hours ago, bannork said:

For many observers, those scenes highlighted something bigger.

Only for those pushing a specific narrative. 😄

8 hours ago, bannork said:

Rather than embracing the aggressive image associated with online "manosphere" influencers, football's newest generation has projected a different style of masculinity—one built on friendship, mutual respect and emotional openness.

I presume the author of this article hasn't heard of Mason Greenwood, Rafa Mir, Achraf Hakimi etc.

The article is a wonderful example of narrative framing. The anchor event, the narrative shift and then the intended contrast. Finally, the criticism of the original intended target that was the reason for the article in the first place.

One suspects the author could twist someone making a ham/cheese sandwich into "taking on the manosphere".

Textbook stuff. In fact, the only thing missing was one iota of subtlety. Bravo! 👏😄

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Only for those pushing a specific narrative. 😄

Spot on as usual Johnny, where is the retching emoji when we need it ?

Edited July 14Jul 14 by Bday Prang

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Only for those pushing a specific narrative. 😄

I presume the author of this article hasn't heard of Mason Greenwood, Rafa Mir, Achraf Hakimi etc.

The article is a wonderful example of narrative framing. The anchor event, the narrative shift and then the intended contrast. Finally, the criticism of the original intended target that was the reason for the article in the first place.

One suspects the author could twist someone making a ham/cheese sandwich into "taking on the manosphere".

Textbook stuff. In fact, the only thing missing was one iota of subtlety. Bravo! 👏😄

Says a guy parading his own narrative.

Chin up Jonny Bellingham saved England’s bacon in the final minutes of the game.

What a fantastic achievement, he’s arguably the proudest and most celebrated Englishman of the year.

True English patriots celebrate this fine young English sportsman.

What a fantastic role model he is for youngsters in England and beyond.

I’m sure Jonny you are very proud of Jude Bellingham, your fellow Englishman.

16 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Says a guy parading his own narrative.

Chin up Jonny Bellingham saved England’s bacon in the final minutes of the game.

What a fantastic achievement, he’s arguably the proudest and most celebrated Englishman of the year.

True English patriots celebrate this fine young English sportsman.

What a fantastic role model he is for youngsters in England and beyond.

I’m sure Jonny you are very proud of Jude Bellingham, your fellow Englishman.

Bellingham is a decent player for sure (a bit like a poor man's Zindane), but somewhat inconsistent for England. It was good to see him (and many others in the team) put in an excellent performance and also entirely predictable that the left wing media and Liberals would use it to promote their "diversity" agenda, just as you are doing.

It's nothing compared to what's in store in the unlikely event England win it though. I bet you're salivating 😄.

As for the most celebrated "Englishman" of the year, most Liberal's "Englishman" of choice is Aaron Rai. I'm sure it was top of The Guardian's weekly newsletter, do try to keep up, dear. 😄

14 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’m sure Jonny you are very proud of Jude Bellingham, your fellow Englishman

Of course we are proud of him , I am very proud of him, and I detest football with a passion. Why would we not be proud of him ? Like you say he is a fellow Englishman.

The tone of your post clearly has insinuations of racism, did you think the likes of me and Johnny would not be proud of him due to his colour?

True English patriots like me and @JonnyF do indeed always support their fellow countrymen and celebrate their successes, regardless of their colour

True English patriots are also in favour of stopping illegal immigrants, wherever they originate from There is nothing racists about it , its not like we get to decide what colour they are, Albanians are just as unwelcome as Somalians as far as I am concerned

Anyway ,I doubt he will really be the most celebrated Englishman of the year, even if he scored the winning goal in the forthcoming final He would surely never be as celebrated as "Andy"

Watching the dazzling, dribbling skills of the Spanish team, and to a slightly lesser extent the French, I wonder why after all these years UK teams just don't seem to have that superlative ball control.

We've improved a lot in recent years, but we don't seem to produce players that can turn on a pin.

9 minutes ago, bannork said:

Watching the dazzling, dribbling skills of the Spanish team, and to a slightly lesser extent the French, I wonder why after all these years UK teams just don't seem to have that superlative ball control.

We've improved a lot in recent years, but we don't seem to produce players that can turn on a pin.

It's the way the Premier League has gone IMO.

The focus is on athleticism, speed, power. Tactics. Physicality. Less of an emphasis on technique and individual skill.

Other clubs/leagues in Europe, specifically Spain, but also France, tend to focus on skills and technique more than athleticism. They grow up in that system hence you get more technical players, even if they leave as adults to play in other leagues including the Premier League. The current English team has very few technical playmakers and the ones we have didn't get on the plane (Foden, Palmer etc.).

England doesn't tend to produce players like Gascoigne, Hoddle, LeTissier, Wilkins anymore. Many are great athletes, but not great players.

49 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Says a guy parading his own narrative.

Chin up Jonny Bellingham saved England’s bacon in the final minutes of the game.

What a fantastic achievement, he’s arguably the proudest and most celebrated Englishman of the year.

True English patriots celebrate this fine young English sportsman.

What a fantastic role model he is for youngsters in England and beyond.

I’m sure Jonny you are very proud of Jude Bellingham, your fellow Englishman.

He is not an illegal boat migrant though is he? He is not claiming welfare and if he did ply his trade in England then he would be a contributing taxpayer. He isn't ethnically English but since he was born in England he is eligible to play for England (just as Erling Haaland could have done if he chose to despite also not being ethnically English).

Anyway, If other migrants followed this basic minimum standard of behavior (not enter the country illegally, not rape kids, not butcher and attempt to behead people, not commit other crimes no matter how small, not claim benefits, not consume social housing, actually pay in more than they take out by earning at least £40k per annum) then they are of course welcomed and celebrated in England for their contributions from all sides of the political spectrum.

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

Of course we are proud of him , I am very proud of him, and I detest football with a passion. Why would we not be proud of him ? Like you say he is a fellow Englishman.

The tone of your post clearly has insinuations of racism, did you think the likes of me and Johnny would not be proud of him due to his colour?

True English patriots like me and @JonnyF do indeed always support their fellow countrymen and celebrate their successes, regardless of their colour

True English patriots are also in favour of stopping illegal immigrants, wherever they originate from There is nothing racists about it , its not like we get to decide what colour they are, Albanians are just as unwelcome as Somalians as far as I am concerned

Anyway ,I doubt he will really be the most celebrated Englishman of the year, even if he scored the winning goal in the forthcoming final He would surely never be as celebrated as "Andy"

I don’t think Jonny believes the children of Immigrants are English.

But I’m sure he appreciates any help you can offer him

Bromance?

That game between England and Norway almost got annulled and replayed. The ball hit a cable and the play should have been stopped, but it lead to an England goal.

FIFA missed it.

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I don’t think Jonny believes the children of Immigrants are English.

But I’m sure he appreciates any help you can offer him

They are not "ethnically" English. That is not my opinion, that is a fact that your attempts at ethnic erasure cannot overcome.

They can qualify to play for England through nationality though. They can do this even if not born in England, like Marc Guehi who was born in Ivory Coast and came here as a child. He isn't ethnically English either.

It's really not complicated Higgot, I've explained it to you enough times you should understand it by now. 😄

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Bromance?

That game between England and Norway almost got annulled and replayed. The ball hit a cable and the play should have been stopped, but it lead to an England goal.

FIFA missed it.

cobblers, they were beaten fair and square, the clowns are still rowing home crying in their beer...

2 minutes ago, Pasak110 said:

cobblers, they were beaten fair and square, the clowns are still rowing home crying in their beer...

"He's rowing home, he's rowing home, he's rowing, Halland's rowing home". 😄

By comparison, Bellingham, Haaland and other leading young footballers present themselves as confident, successful and charismatic while also appearing grounded and respectful.

Putting it in context. They can kick a ball. That is the sum total of the reason they're rich and famous.

Someone else is in charge of promoting them. Someone else organizes the matches. (For all intents and purposes, someone else decides how much they're paid). All they do is show up where they're told and kick a ball.

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

True English patriots are also in favour of stopping illegal immigrants, wherever they originate from There is nothing racists about it ,

I think there is one native French white guy on France's team.

For all intents and purposes, it's an African team, not a "French" team. Ok, Norway, most of them are of Norwegian origin. But nationality is becoming meaningless with some of these teams.

I always found it odd that no team from Africa ever won the World Cup, but when you transplant African natives to France, suddenly they win.

Edited July 14Jul 14 by save the frogs

22 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

They are not "ethnically" English. That is not my opinion, that is a fact that your attempts at ethnic erasure cannot overcome.

They can qualify to play for England through nationality though. They can do this even if not born in England, like Marc Guehi who was born in Ivory Coast and came here as a child. He isn't ethnically English either.

It's really not complicated Higgot, I've explained it to you enough times you should understand it by now. 😄

The ethnicity of the English has changed continuously since the 10th Century.

It’s never been a fixed ethnicity.

13 minutes ago, impulse said:

Putting it in context. They can kick a ball. That is the sum total of the reason they're rich and famous.

Someone else is in charge of promoting them. Someone else organizes the matches. (For all intents and purposes, someone else decides how much they're paid). All they do is show up where they're told and kick a ball.

Putting it in context, football is a meritocracy.

The team players earn their shirts by being the best.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Putting it in context, football is a meritocracy.

The team players earn their shirts by being the best.

Oh, you're suddenly a fan of meritocracy? 😄

So you wouldn't support DEI in the context of the French national team to ensure the makeup of the team reflected that of French society, rather than simply picking the best players? You're normally a huge supporter of DEI. I wonder what changed in this case? 😄

33 minutes ago, Pasak110 said:

cobblers, they were beaten fair and square, the clowns are still rowing home crying in their beer...

Yep, Norway fans crawling home with nothing left but food souvenirs and bad memories.

Putting it in context, football is a meritocracy.

The team players earn their shirts by being the best.

Sure, being the best at kicking a ball. That's a useful life skill for about 1/100 of 1% of our kids.

1 minute ago, impulse said:

Sure, being the best at kicking a ball. That's a useful life skill for about 1/100 of 1% of our kids.

Team sports are good for human beings.

You need to challenge yourself physically. And there's a bit of mental component, outwitting your opponent.

Sports are useful. Thats why they have endured since the Greeks invented them.

21 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I always found it odd that no team from Africa ever won the World Cup, but when you transplant African natives to France, suddenly they win.

That’s to do with the lack of football infrastructure to support player and team development.

In the same way the UK couldn’t produce a cycling grand tour winner until tens of £ millions was invested in developing the infrastructure to develop and support British cyclists. Once all that was in place Team UK started cleaning up in events from the Olympics through all levels of amateur and professional cycling.

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

That’s to do with the lack of football infrastructure to support player and team development.

Not to mention rampant corruption at all levels of the sport in Africa.

FIFA World Cup highlights Africa's sad story of Corruption - CRI Group

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

Not to mention rampant corruption at all levels of the sport in Africa.

FIFA World Cup highlights Africa's sad story of Corruption - CRI Group

You believe there’s no corruption in UK sport…. Bless.

12 minutes ago, impulse said:

Sure, being the best at kicking a ball. That's a useful life skill for about 1/100 of 1% of our kids.

It’s a very useful thing to the UK economy:

https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4461419/research-shows-premier-leagues-growing-contribution-to-uk-economy

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

You believe there’s no corruption in UK sport…. Bless.

Strawman.

There's nowhere near the level of corruption in the British game compared to Africa. Totally incomparable.

(PDF) THE PROBLEM WITH AFRICAN FOOTBALL: CORRUPTION AND THE (UNDER)DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAME ON THE CONTINENT

Hence, nowhere near the success.

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s a very useful thing to the UK economy:

https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4461419/research-shows-premier-leagues-growing-contribution-to-uk-economy

It's a great asset in terms of soft power as well.

Like the Royal Family.

18 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Oh, you're suddenly a fan of meritocracy? 😄

So you wouldn't support DEI in the context of the French national team to ensure the makeup of the team reflected that of French society, rather than simply picking the best players? You're normally a huge supporter of DEI. I wonder what changed in this case? 😄

Given that France are through to the Semi Finals and the outright bookies favourite to win, it might be your claims of the DEI (you fixate on) might be a thing of your own imagination.

3 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

It's a great asset in terms of soft power as well.

Like the Royal Family.

I would agree.

And getting a German/Greek family to represent the UK so well has been a raging success.